Ultimate Guide to Texas Wine Country

Exploring any of the 11 Texas wine trails is the perfect way to experience the unique vinos, landscape and culture of that region. You can do a self-guided driving tour or travel with a group, and it's always fun to take a wine trail trip in conjunction with a festival or seasonal event. You can visit several wineries in a day, or take a more leisurely approach and make stops at restaurants, artists' studios and bed-and-breakfasts along the way. And don't forget to check out the beautiful scenery and perhaps take in some local music while you're sipping that delicious beverage.

The Texas Hill Country wine trail, which includes 27 vineyards, is the largest and most well-known in the state, attracting 5 million annual visitors. Many say the Hill Country is reminiscent of central Italy and the Rhone Valley of France, and Away.com named it the best hidden gem wine region in the country. There are four self-guided events on the Hill Country trail each year: Wine and Wildflower, Harvest, Texas Wine Month and Holiday. You'll need to pick up a ticket ahead of time (for all except Wine and Wildflower), but be warned: They sell out fast!

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For those who'd like to go a little off the beaten path, there are 10 more wine trails in the state, each with its own wine varieties and special Texas twist:

Texas Bluebonnet

Crosstimbers

Munson

Fredericksburg Wine Road 290

Way Out Wineries

Grapevine

Piney Woods

Dallas

San Gabriel

Red River

If you're about to embark on a wine trail excursion, you might want to get a Texas Winery Passport; you can earn rewards (starting with a wine journal) once you've logged visits to eight wineries, and after 216 visits, you get a private wine tasting for 20 people.

Did You Know?

The Grapevine wine trail includes a stop at La Bodega Winery at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the world's first airport winery.